Antoinette Cisneros has lived most of her life with allergies. The 35-year-old Las Cruces, N.M. resident just didn't know how severe they could be until she landed in the hospital a few months ago.

"I get real bad sinus pressure, a snuffy nose and runny eyes," Cisneros said. "It hits hardest in spring and fall. I would be sick three or four weeks in the spring and three or four weeks in the fall."

In October, after being on several antibiotics and other medication for six to 10 weeks, Cisneros was taken to a Las Cruces hospital.

"I've had allergies all my life but never to the extent where it put me in the hospital," she said. "I was there for five days. They told me it was an asthma attack, even through I had never been diagnosed with asthma. I figured it was a common cold."

Along with the warming temperatures associated with spring come the high pollen levels from grass, weeds and trees.

Many people like Cisneros who suffer from spring allergies are probably already experiencing sneezing, watery eyes and fatigue because of tree pollen.

"During this time of the year when it's really windy and you have a bad allergy history, just stay indoors as much as you can," said Dr. Hernando Garcia, a pulmonologist at Sierra Medical Center in El Paso, N.M. "And if you do have to go outside to clean your backyard, you should use a mask, and once you get back inside, take a bath quickly and remove all that pollen from your hair and nose."

Allergy sufferers can do a number of things besides taking medicines.

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"They can replace the regular air-conditioning filters with HEPA filters to trap some of the pollen that might get inside the house through the air conditioner," Garcia said. "Also, if they have pets, those pets can bring in that pollen also."

It is not known why some people have allergies or why the body reacts so powerfully to something in nature that's harmful.

"Our bodies react to the environment they are in," Garcia said.

An allergic response is produced by an allergen. In seasonal allergies, the allergen is one or more of the proteins in a pollen.

Garcia said Cisneros, his patient, is a normal case.

"People may have asthma as a child but during the teen years, it disappears and then it begins to flare up again as they get older," he said. "When they are kids, they tend to have a lot of colds or bronchitis, but it was asthma; it just wasn't diagnosed. Then it goes into remission and it flares up again as an adult."

It is important for people to recognize the symptoms to protect themselves.

"The symptoms vary from season to season," he said. "Once you know what season is the one giving you the symptoms, start with the medication at least two weeks before so that way you are prepared and it'll prevent an allergic reaction, or at least diminish the severity of it."

David Thomas, 24, is slightly different in how allergies affect him.

Thomas is a runner who suffers through allergies in the summer and late fall.

"It makes it tough for me to run when I'm not feeling 100 percent," he said. "After my runs, I feel as if my head is going to explode. It gets that bad."

Garcia advises runners and people who enjoy being outdoors to take allergy medication 30 minutes before their run.

"People need to protect themselves, especially if they have asthma," he said. "If they do have asthma, it's ideal for them to exercise indoors during the time they tend to get sick the most. There are some people who won't because they love being outdoors. They can use a mask when they run and take medication or their inhalers 30 minutes before they go outside to control the allergies."

Garcia said it's also best to know the difference between a common cold and allergies.

"The cold is an infection that comes with a runny nose, and it might give you a little cough and it stays with you for three of five days," he said. "A cold might even give you a little bit of the chills or a fever, but it goes away. Allergies don't, unless you treat them. If not treated, the symptoms could last up to four to six -- and sometimes eight weeks. It could become very severe and you'll end up in the hospital. You have to treat it."

ALLERGY PROOFING YOUR HOME

If you have hay fever or allergic asthma, take a few steps to reduce allergens in your home. The mayoclinic.com offers the following tips:

Temperature and humidity. Hot, humid houses are breeding grounds for dust mites and mold. Maintain temperature at 70 degrees. Clean or replace small-particle filters in central heating and cooling systems and in room air conditioners at least once a month.

Pests. Control cockroaches and mice with inexpensive traps from the hardware store. If that's not effective, hire a professional exterminator. To remove allergy-triggering insect and mouse residue, thoroughly vacuum carpeting and wash hard surfaces. To prevent reinfestation, seal cracks or other possible entryways.

Mold. Close doors and windows during warm weather and use air conditioning and dehumidifiers. Remove nonwashable contaminated materials such as carpeting. Clean washable material with a solution of 5 percent chlorine bleach and wear a protective mask when cleaning away mold. Check the roof and ceilings for water leaks.

Weekly cleaning routine. Damp-mop wood or linoleum flooring and vacuum carpeting. Use a vacuum cleaner with a small-particle or a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Use a damp cloth to clean other surfaces, including the tops of doors, windowsills and window frames. If you have allergies, either wear a dust mask or get someone who doesn't have allergies to do this job. Change or clean heating and cooling system filters once a month.

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